Well, this is a bit strange! Claiming that they would take this stance on behalf of any player—murder suspect or not—the NFL Players Association is attempting to make sure former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez receives $82,000 for the offseason workouts he attended before he was arrested in June.

Hernandez, of course, is currently sitting in jail after being indicted last week on a first-degree murder charge in the killing of Odin Lloyd, who had been dating the sister of Hernandez’s girlfriend.

The NFLPA—anticipating the raised eyebrows that such an effort might provoke—said in its statement that this is just about setting a precedent.

“On behalf of all players, it is our responsibility to protect the rights in the collective bargaining agreement. We are not tone-deaf to what the allegations are in this case, but for the benefit of all players, there are important precedents here we must protect,” the statement reads.

Hernandez—who had signed a $40 million contract extension in 2012—earned the $82,000 over the course of April to June through his participation in “offseason activities.” He hadn’t been yet paid when he was arrested and dropped from the team in June.